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Epidemiology of Fractures in Children Younger Than 12 Months
Diana Rodà1, Victoria Trenchs2, Ana Isabel Curcoy2
1From the Pediatric Department.
Insights
Fractures in infants are uncommon in pediatric emergency departments (PEDs), with skull fractures being most frequent. Healthcare providers should educate caregivers on developmental risks and always consider child abuse in infant fracture cases.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Child Health
Background:
- Infant fractures are infrequent but require careful evaluation.
- Understanding fracture patterns in young children is crucial for diagnosis and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence and characteristics of fractures in infants under 12 months old presenting to a pediatric emergency department (PED).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 101 infant fracture cases over two years (2011-2012).
- Data collected included patient demographics, fracture type and site, injury mechanism, and treatment.
- Analysis focused on prevalence, common fracture types, and injury circumstances.
Main Results:
- Infant fractures accounted for 0.3% of all pediatric emergency department visits for children under 12 months.
- Skull fractures were the most common (57.4%), followed by long bone fractures (26.7%).
- Falls from furniture were the primary reported injury mechanism (82.2%).
Conclusions:
- Skull fractures are the most common type of fracture in infants presenting to the PED.
- Pediatricians must educate caregivers about normal development risks and potential injury prevention.
- Child abuse must always be considered and ruled out in cases of infant fractures.
Objectives:
The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and characteristics of fractures in young infants attended at the pediatric emergency department (PED).
Methods:
This is a retrospective study for 2 years (2011-2012) of children younger than 12 months attended with a fracture at the PED. Age, sex, site and type of fracture, mechanism of injury, time interval before seeking medical attention, and management were analyzed.
Results:
One hundred one patients were included. They represented 0.3% (95% confidence interval, 0.2%-0.4%) of all children younger than 12 months attended at the PED. The median age was 7.7 months (interquartile range, 5.2-10.1 months); 58 (57.4%) were boys. The most common fracture was skull fracture (58, 57.4%), mostly parietal, followed by long bone fractures (27, 26.7%); transverse and torus fractures were the most common types, located at the diaphysis and distal metaphysis, respectively. The principal mechanism reported was falling (83, 82.2%) mainly from furniture. Fifty-one patients (50.1%) were attended in the first 6 hours after injury. Sixty-five patients (64.4%) were admitted at the hospital and the other 9 (8.9%) were controlled in outpatient visits. One of them was injured because of negligence and another was diagnosed with osteoporosis.
Conclusions:
Fractures in young infants are uncommon at the PED, the skull fracture being the most common. Pediatricians should alert caretakers of the risks in normal development to prevent these injuries. Fractures caused by child abuse should always be discarded.
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